Following a rest day in beautiful Morzine, the peloton confronts the toughest Alpine stage. There are four big climbs culminating in the fearsome Madeleine.

The top sections of the Colombière will be familiar from last year when the riders came onto this side of the climb from the Col de Romme and Alberto Contador’s attack dropped team-mate Andreas Klöden but not the Schlecks.

The Aravis is straightforward, the Saisies less so, and the Madeleine’s 20km ascent is brutal. The realistic contenders for the overall will emerge.